The Path to Enlightenment in "Siddhartha"

Summary: Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha" describes Siddhartha's ardous path to achieve true enlightenment. The sacrifices he must make are many, but each one leads toward perfect knowledge.

In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, there are three sentences that summarize the path that Siddhartha takes on his road to enlightenment. These paths that Siddhartha took to clarification are how every person lives his/her life--with a goal in mind, the necessary steps to complete it, and the success at the end. Siddhartha's steps are far from easy, and he has to make many sacrifices to reach them, but each step leads toward the greater good. Although not every person is able to reach his/her state of "nirvana," it is the journey that encompasses a lifetime, not the final product.

At an early age, Siddhartha knows that he is not going to find enlightenment in his village. Since he is young and still living with his father, he asks for his father's permission to go out on his own in the world. However, Siddhartha will only accept one...